Prayer Pledge // Day 5

Week One // Prayer to the Holy Spirit by St. Augustine

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit,
That my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit,
That I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit,
To defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,
That I always may be holy.

Week One Intention

We pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit within our own souls.

Week One // Day Five

Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit,That I always may be holy.Amen!

I love how the concluding lines of St. Augustine’s prayer conclude with a sense of trust. There is an added word that jostles the rhythm of the prayer that no other stanza of the prayer includes. The word “then.” This word is defined as “at that time,” “soon after that,” and “as a necessary consequence.”

We have made our requests of the Holy Spirit, and here is where we surrender it. Here is where we lay it all out before the Holy Spirit, and entrust to Him our entire being. This is exciting! This is where we trust that “as a necessary consequence” of our prayers, we will indeed be guarded and led on in greater holiness.

We have the power of the Holy Spirit to accompany us, to light our way, to guide us, and to guard us. We read in 2 Corinthians 1:21-22:

But the one who gives us security with you in Christ and who anointed us is God; He has also put his seal upon us and given the Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

Here we learn that the Holy Spirit is given to us as our foundation for living the Christian life. And He isn’t just there in the beginning. His presence becomes stronger and stronger in our lives.

When I flip the pages of my Bible to the Bible Dictionary in the back of the book, I read that “Amen” is a Hebrew word meaning “certainly” and “truly.” It was used to give approval to something someone said, a blessing or a prayer, etc. It is as if to say, “So be it.” When we pray this prayer of St. Augustine, let’s pray it with true belief.

Just as you are asking the Holy Spirit to guard you today, ask yourself how you can help be a guardian to another. This could mean having a greater observance of a sibling or friend. Invest time in paying closer attention to those in your life who you hold dear. Does it seem like they might need some time to open up about a struggle in their life? A coffee date or quality time with you could be just what they need.

What do you want to see in your life as a result of inviting the Holy Spirit to come into your life in such a radical way? Name it! And proclaim your confident and hopeful “Amen!”

Prayer + Discussion for Prayer Partners

Ask your prayer partner in what ways they desire to be guarded in their life. Of course, guarding ourselves too much emotionally can be unhealthy, but protection is a good and healthy thing. Ask your friend if there is anything that you can do to help provide that protection in their life.

Assure them that you believe that the Holy Spirit will hear your prayer, because you believe, and you are saying, “Amen! So be it!”

Susanna Parent is a regular contributor to the BIS blog. She serves as Evangelization Manager for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in the Office of Evangelization. She is a recent graduate of the Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry program with the School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas. When she’s not reading and writing you can find her enjoying life with her new husband, brewing French press coffee in her kitchen, reading wine labels with friends in an effort to discover the perfect Pinot Noir and blogging about her travel adventures. You can find out more about her here.